Crash, Bang…Chirp (Via Zoom)

Soundscape is a truly under-appreciated resource in national parks. Every so often a sound artist or sound conservationist like Bernard Krause or Gordon Hempton make news, but it’s a tiny blip compared to the attention paid to iconic vistas and recreational opportunities in parks.

When visitors to a park ask for advice about what to do, they often want to know what to see. What if they asked, “What should I hear?” Do you have favorite sounds and listening spots?

Become bolder and better at facilitating listening and discussion about natural soundscapes. In this online series, participants will:

1. Try out several activities that bridge visitors’ homelife and park experience as we cultivate attention and encourage stewardship of the soundscape. Find out how others are using activities like sound maps and sound walks to make deeply personal emotional and intellectual connections.
2. Take a peek into what scientists and sound artists see when they collect and visualize sound, and explore ways to engage visitors in this aspect of sound
3. Become familiar with new possibilities for audience-centered engagement (suitable for virtual experiences too) like: Sounds of Your Park initiative, a collection of cultural and natural sounds intended to celebrate the acoustical beauty and diversity of the world’s national parks and other protected areas, Citizen DJ, Singing Insects, and Listening To Waves.

Speakers include:

Jacob Job, Developer of immersive sound experiences at Sequoia Kings Canyon, and coordinator of Voices of a Flyway, Member of the Sound and Light Ecology Team, Colorado State University & NPS Victor Minces, Developer of listeningtowaves, tools to measure and play with sound, UC San Diego,

Aaron Corcoran, Prof of Biology, Univ. of Colorado, and author of studies on sonar jamming and other unexpected behaviors in moths and bats

Eve Payor and Ranger Ashley Lord on the Young Sound Seekers program with blind and partially sighted youth at Canaveral National Park

Kathleen Soler, Outdoor educator and coordinator of the Singing Insects Monitoring Program, a citizen science effort to support the work of Carl Strang

Cesar Alemeida, Teaching artist specializing in recording and preserving cultural soundscapes.

With additions and special guests to be announced.

 What you need to know 

The sessions will be on zoom. Once you sign up, you will get a confirmation link.

The sessions are free, sponsored by iSWOOP.

The sessions are open to interpreters and volunteers as well as other park staff and collaborators (interested scientists, teachers, etc.)  from NPS and elsewhere.

Instructions for preparing will be sent ahead. Any preparation will take 30 minutes or less and might include testing an app, reading an article, drawing and listening outside.

You can sign up for one or more sessions.

Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf6rhUjRSiv-Hm42fBS8TYRsel4Pt1gLt3Y-nUoS4OY8vfw8g/viewform

www.iswoopparks.com